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Joel:
I would generally argue that all of the business models you listed - record labels, movie studios, and book publishers, are not content creators but publishers/aggregators. I agree that the digital world is wreaking havoc on their business models. I think we all have a pretty good idea of what the “publishers” have tried to do to preserve their model.
Given:
1 - In the world of digital goods (ebooks, etextbooks, music, etc.), scarcity doesn't exist;
2 - Enforcing copyright becomes near (is) impossible;
If we agree, then we can now focus our efforts on finding a solution for rewarding content creators – musicians, writers, and authors (to use your previous examples).
I would argue that rewards to content providers for non-infringing content under the existing model (fast, easy, and nearly free distribution of content) are negligible. The publisher takes all but a pittance that goes to the creator. Content creators are hardly better off than if their content were wholly infringed.
Dumas
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